Starscream (NDE)
The collapse of the Decepticon Empire at the hands of Megatron’s ineptitude cost them many of their greatest warriors and leaders. However, what is often more surprising is those that survived the fall. One of those was Starscream, the sole member of Megatron’s original inner circle to remain within the new empire today. History Starscream was among those who lay dormant on Earth with Megatron for millions of years before his re-emergence. Once reactivated, he became a key part of the fall of the former Decepticon empire. For all of Megatron’s incompetence, Starscream only sped up the empire’s demise through his constant efforts to undermine, sabotage or simply eliminate his leader, and seize power for himself. Many of the empire’s losses came through Starscream’s counterproductive efforts. And yet, for all of this, Megatron never once thought to end the problem by simply off-lining Starscream permanently. After Megatron’s demise and the empire’s collapse, Starscream was one of the few survivors of Megatron’s crew to have fled into space. The members of the new Empire’s inner circle were left with the issue of what to do about him, given their desire to purge all traces of Megatron, his ideologies, his followers and his influence on Decepticon history. Starscream was a very visible reminder of that past, one that would need to be dealt with. However, none of them were aware of the depths of his treachery, and the role he had played in the Empire’s own fall. Instead, Starscream had been very careful to conceal the truth behind a web of lies, painting himself as a capable commander who had been hamstrung by his leader’s failings. The few instances of his treachery that were bought to light were dismissed by him as being honest attempts to unseat Megatron not for his own personal glory, but instead for the good of the Decepticons as a whole. Behind the scenes, dark rumours suggested that Starscream had, in the last days of the Empire, eliminated those that could disprove his claims. Moderately convinced by his act, Dezarus chose to make an example of Starscream; not of the new empire’s justice, but of it’s mercy. After the establishment of their new capitol, Starscream publicly denounced Megatron, as well as Shockwave and any remaining Megatron loyalists. He then underwent a public ‘purification’ ceremony where he was reformatted with a more ‘acceptable’ alt mode, before being ‘rebranded’ as a loyal soldier of the new empire. In private, Starscream aided the Decepticon Secret Police in their apprehension of several of Megatron’s remaining loyalists, including his fellow Seeker, Skywarp. Mindful of his past (and yet, not fully aware of it) but yet also impressed by his apparent devotion, Dezarus rewarded Starscream for his loyalty, reinstating his old rank of air commander within the new empire’s millitary. For the moment, Starscream leads his forces into combat, conquering worlds and expanding the Empire’s reach for the glory of their new emperor. Deep down, he remains the same mechanoid, yearning for greater power and to one day lead an empire ruled by his hand. Capabilities Despite his reformatting, Starscream retains the same abilities as he had before. He remains one of the fastest and most agile fliers of the Decepticon forces, able to out-run and out-manoeuvre most opponents. His signature weapons are his null-ray cannons, which are able to disrupt electrical impulses and temporarily disable machines, including other Transformers. He is also armed with twin cluster bomb launchers, capable of saturating wide areas with explosives. In his role as air commander, Starscream rarely needs to engage an enemy directly. Instead, he has a literal army of soldiers at his disposal to do his bidding and, if needs be, follow his agendas. That none of them served with him on Earth in past is a great advantage, as few know the true depths of what he is capable of. Personality Despite his public denouncement of his former leader and transfer of loyalty to the new empire, Starscream very much remains the same mechanoid as he allways was. He is ruthless and power-hungry, and willing to take whatever steps needed to achieve his desires. He has no scruples, no morals and does not care who he has to kill along the way. However, due to the more canny nature of his new leader, Starscream cannot afford to be as overt as he used to be. Rather, now he is subtle and sly, discretely manipulating events behind the scenes to his favour. A large part of this is the simpler understanding of one fact: Dezarus would not be anywhere near as lenient or merciful as Megatron was. Category:Decepticons Category:Seekers Category:Characters Category:Males Category:New Decepticon Empire